Kathy and Paul Gualtieri were the largest individual donors to the Daily Tribune’s 2013 Give-A-Christmas Year Around drive, with a contribution of $500.

The attached message from Kathy read, “This is my favorite charity to which to donate. We know that every penny will be put to good use.”

She is right about that. Give-A-Christmas donations buy gas cards to get children who are survivors of abuse to their counseling sessions at CARE House, fix the bus that brings homeless guests to The Welcome Inn, help those with emergency needs who come to Common Ground, and pay for kids from needy families to attend the Boys & Girls Clubs of Oakland & Macomb.

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And because volunteers do all the work, every penny goes to the fund’s selected charities with no strings attached, to be used where each organization’s executive director sees the most need.

The a 501(c)(3) charitable fund, now in its 28th year, was originally called Give-A-Christmas. A few years later, the words “Year Around” were added to recognize that help is needed all year and not just at the holidays. In fact, little Give-A-Christmas money is spent then, but is used as needs arise throughout the year.

“I’ve been donating ever since Give-A-Christmas started,” Kathy Gualtieri said. “I like that people who have odd needs that crop up can be helped without restrictions.”

“A long, long time ago, we gave $25 a month and it was like paying one of our bills. A little bit adds up and people need assistance in the summer as well as the winter. I’m thinking about going back to making monthly payments, and I think others should, too.”

Jim Perlaki, program director for runaway and homeless youth services at Common Ground Sanctuary noted that lots of donations come in for Christmas, but when birthdays come around, there are no unrestricted funds in the budget for gifts. He has used Give-A-Christmas money for birthday presents, graduation caps and gowns, clothes for job interviews and other teen needs.

“Christmas gifts are donated, but what happens in April or June?” Perlaki asked. “We definitely stretch the Give-A-Christmas money a long way and we’re really grateful.”

Thursday morning, representatives of Common Ground, The Welcome Inn, CARE House of Oakland County, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Oakland & Macomb, along with Give-A-Christmas Year Around board members Jean Chamberlain, Maureen Elliott, Mike Auger, Mike Sophiea and treasurer Mike Mayette, gathered at Sophiea’s Oak City Grille in downtown Royal Oak, to distribute the $10,857 given by generous donors in 2013.

Roy Watson, executive director of The Welcome Inn, thanked the group on behalf of their clients.

“This money does a lot of good and helps a lot of people,” he said. “We really appreciate it.”

“We are working with various agencies and, by the end of the season, we expect to get 20 clients off the streets and into housing.”